5 Effective Neck Pain Relief Treatments – Causes And Symptoms

Have you ever woken up with a discomfort in your neck that was so painful that you could hardly move your head and wondered instantly about how to get neck pain relief? Many people have experienced neck pain, a condition that affects half of U.S. adults yearly. This makes it one of the common reasons you visit a doctor. Yet the pain is often over-treated with MRI/CT scans, surgery, injections, and drugs that may be little help in the long term.

This article highlights steps you can use to achieve neck pain relief. The five effective neck pain relief treatments highlighted here can be handy and save you doctor visits.

What Is Neck Pain?

​Neck PainTo support your head, the neck is made up of vertebrae that extend to the upper torso and the skull. In addition, the cervical disks are also vital in absorbing any shock you might experience between the neck region bones. The muscles, ligaments, and muscles of the neck support your head and also facilitate motion.

Any injury, inflammation, or abnormality can cause neck pain and stiffness. This is why you should ensure that you are acquainted with some remedies you can use for neck pain relief. You should note that neck plain is not often a serious condition and can be relieved within a few days. Sometimes, the pain can persist, and this could indicate a serious illness or injury which demands a doctor’s attention.

As such, we advise that when you continue to have neck pain for over a week which is severe or accompanied by other symptoms, you should visit your doctor as soon as possible.

Causes of Neck Pain

A bad sleeping posture may cause neck pain, as can spending long hours leaning, stress or tension, bad body posture, or even lying on a mattress that is excessively soft. Injuries to the neck region and muscle tension are the causes attributed to neck pain in many people today. It is vital you counteract the issue at the onset, so you cure the pain early while also prevent the condition from becoming worse.

Degeneration

Degeneration of vertebrae discs in the neck, which is also referred to as wear and tear, may also cause your neck pain. As the disc and vertebrae degenerate, you may experience persistent pain in the neck. However, some medical conditions can also cause the discs and vertebrae, and the other parts of the neck, to break down, which include:

arthritis

Inflammation

Cervical disc degeneration

Cervical fractures

Pinched nerves

Sleeping

When you sleep in a bad position, it is common to wake up feeling pain and stiffness in the neck, back, and shoulders. Your sleeping position, the number of pillows you use, and the firmness of your mattress are contributing factors to neck pain. When you fall asleep without adequate support for the head or neck, you increase your likelihood of waking up with a sore neck.

Stress

Stress causes the neck muscles to tighten. People hold tension in their neck and back, and if the strain or stress is excessive, it may lead to neck pain.

Torticollis

A sudden onset of acute torticollis can also lead to neck pain. Torticollis is a condition where your head gets twisted on one side. In most instances, it can be very painful if you try to straighten your head. Torticollis’ cause is yet to be known, but doctors believe it is due to minor muscle or ligament sprains in the neck, although cold temperature exposure for a long period can also be the cause.

Nerve Injury

Neck pain can also be attributed to an injury of the brachial plexus, which are the bundle of nerves connecting the hands to the spinal cord in the neck. This can be due to a blunt force trauma such as in a car accident or sporting injury. You should note that visiting a chiropractor is not necessary unless the neck pain has persisted for over a week. Neck pain relief can also be achieved using easy and customizable home remedies.

Why Relieve Neck Pain?Neck pain is usually agonizing, and it reduces an your ability to concentrate at home or at work and can impede sleeping. Having neck pain reduces one’s productivity, which is why you should relieve neck pain immediately. It is a huge annoyance, and makes performing the simplest tasks seem difficult. You should relieve neck pain to enjoy your sleep more, to perform tasks optimally, and improve your productivity at work. Sometimes, neck pain can cause a headache, difficulty in eating, stiffness, and numbness.

5 Effective Neck Pain Relief Treatments

Neck Exercises

These are effective in easing neck stiffness and pain. Resting too long after having neck pain will make it harder to start moving again. However, you should not exercise if you have severe neck pain or weakness in your arms and hands. If this happens while you are having neck exercises for neck pain relief, you should stop and call your doctor.

Doing neck strengthening exercises and stretching will help your neck become more flexible and strong while simultaneously minimize the stiffness. In addition, poor stomach muscles can cause your upper section of the back to curve backward, which results in your neck moving forwards. Applying exercises, for example, bent knee curls helps you strengthen your abdominal muscles, which results in neck pain relief.

For instant neck pain relief, we recommend the following set of exercises:

You should first nod your head forward and backward for some minutes and slowly nod from one side to the otherOnce you feel tenseness, you should then gradually turn your head completely towards the left, and do the same in the right side. This may hurt, but we recommend that you take it slowYou should then repeat this exercise for approximately 20 repetitionsYou should do this exercise every few hours intervals, and you will feel neck pain relief after two to three days

Using Essential Oils for Neck Pain Relief

For this home remedy, you will need

A few drops of lavender oilA few drops of peppermint oil1 teaspoon of olive oilA few drops of cypress oilA few drops of basil oil

You will need to make a blend of the oils by mixing the drops with warm olive oil. You should then massage the bend on the neck for some minutes. You should note that you can use the oils alone or combine them, but make sure you dilute in the carrier oil. Apply this twice daily.

Peppermint oil works because it soothes the muscles and can be used in treating body pain and headaches. It is also anti-inflammatory. Lavender oil relaxes the muscles and mind, thereby easing stress. Basil oil is an analgesic and antispasmodic, which makes it effective in reducing neck pain. Cypress oil is utilized in treating sore muscles and muscular cramps and stimulates lymph and blood circulation.

Massage for Neck Pain Relief

To massage, you will need coconut, mustard, or olive oil.You need to:

First, take a hot shower and ensure that you pat the skin dryWarm up a tablespoon of the oil and use it to massage the neckYou should use gentle circular motions for some minutes

You should repeat this every morning. However, you can also massage your neck during the day for quicker neck pain relief. The message can heal any pain in your body. Gently massaging or rubbing the aching part of your neck stimulates blood flow but can also help you sleep better. The only caution is that you should not rub the injured part if it causes excess pain.

Acupuncture for Neck Pain

Acupuncture is a method where tiny needles are inserted in a strategic and specific point of your skin, and it is widely used in treating any kind of pain. This makes it one of the best options for neck pain relief. In this case, the points will be on your neck, and once the needles are inserted, they regulate the body’s functioning while also improving the circulation of blood, which relives neck pain. Consult a certified therapist.

Vitamins for Neck Pain Relief

Vitamins play a vital role in ensuring a healthy functioning of your body. When vitamin levels decrease, a number of problems may develop, including chronic or acute pain. Therefore, if you frequently suffer from neck pain, including vitamins in your diets can help relieve the pain.

These vitamins include:

Vitamin D, which is essential for health and bone development, and its deficit causes chronic pain in the jointsVitamin C, which has an antinociceptive agent that contain antioxidants that increases your pain threshold, hence mitigating your painVitamin B complex, which is a natural analgesic agent, and reduces inflammation and pain of both musculoskeletal and neuropathic origin

ConclusionNeck pain is agonizing and annoying as you cannot perform your tasks as you used to. Neck pain can cause headaches, stiffness, an even numbness. It lowers your productivity at home and at work, which is why you need the remedies discussed in this article to ease and treat neck pain. You can try any of these remedies based on your preferences, but you can also use two or three of these remedies for a faster neck pain relief.